sued; suing

transitive verb

1
a
: to seek justice or right from (a person) by legal process
specifically : to bring an action against
b
: to proceed with and follow up (a legal action) to proper termination
2
archaic : to pay court or suit to : woo
3
obsolete : to make petition to or for

intransitive verb

1
: to take legal proceedings in court
2
: to make a request or application : plead
usually used with for or to
sue for peace
3
: to pay court : woo
he loved … but sued in vainWilliam Wordsworth
suer noun

Examples of sue in a Sentence

Some people sue over the most minor things. People injured in accidents caused by the defective tire have threatened to sue. They've threatened to sue the company. He is suing the doctor who performed the unnecessary surgery.
Recent Examples on the Web The family of 60-year-old Dean Hoffmann, who died by suicide at Waupun Correctional Institution last June, sued the DOC over his death, alleging prison officials were deliberately indifferent to Hoffmann's serious mental health needs, which resulted in his suicide. Molly Beck, Journal Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2024 The three couples to whom the embryos belonged sued the medical center and their fertility clinic, The Center for Reproductive Medicine, for wrongful death. USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024 Earlier this week, a teacher who worked with Brooks sued Loudoun schools in federal court for illegally retaliating against her. Justin Jouvenal, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024 A day later, Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey sued the county, alleging officials illegally increased homeowners’ property assessments. Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2024 The arrest is the latest legal issue for Boettcher, who, on top of being sued by the one employee, is also suing his daughter Hobbs in Los Angeles Superior Court. Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Like other states, Florida is expected to be sued by social media companies to stop the legislation from taking effect. Lawrence Mower, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024 In September, a lighting technician sued Meta and the Association of Independent Commercial Producers over a diversity initiative. Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024 Somewhere, an ambitious Republican state attorney general is making plans to sue the federal government. Matthew Continetti, National Review, 24 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sue.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English sewen, siuen to follow, strive for, petition, from Anglo-French sivre, siure, from Vulgar Latin *sequere, from Latin sequi to follow; akin to Greek hepesthai to follow, Sanskrit sacate he accompanies

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of sue was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near sue

Cite this Entry

“Sue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sue. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

sue

verb
sued; suing
1
: to seek justice from a person by bringing a legal action
2
: to make a request or application : plead
usually used with for or to
the weaker nation sued for peace
suer noun

Legal Definition

sue

verb
sued; suing

transitive verb

: to bring an action against : seek justice from by legal process

intransitive verb

: to bring an action in court
Etymology

Anglo-French suer suire, literally, to follow, pursue, from Old French sivre, ultimately from Latin sequi to follow

Biographical Definition

Sue

biographical name

ˈsü How to pronounce Sue (audio)
ˈsᵫ
Eugène 1804–1857 originally Marie-Joseph Sue French novelist

More from Merriam-Webster on sue

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